Fair Standards Alliance

What Fair Standards Alliance does

Fair Standards Alliance (FSA) is a Brussels-headquartered, membership-based industry coalition founded in 2015 that advocates for fair, transparent, and workable licensing of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) on FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms. The organization represents 47 European and global companies spanning automotive, telecommunications, semiconductor, smart energy, broadcasting, computer, and IoT sectors, collectively generating over EUR 2 trillion in annual turnover and investing more than EUR 140 billion annually in R&D. FSA does not develop proprietary technology products; its output is policy and advocacy content — position papers, legal case analyses, consultation responses, joint industry letters, and amicus briefs — directed primarily at European, UK, Japanese, and Singaporean regulators and courts.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: member companies jointly shape the policy agenda and coordinate formal responses to consultations from the European Commission, the UK Intellectual Property Office, the Japanese Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, and competition authorities such as the German Bundeskartellamt. Landmark outputs include the CWA2 Core Principles and Approaches for Licensing of Standard Essential Patents, developed with 56 participating organizations under the CEN CENELEC framework, and an annual Brussels conference functioning as a convening forum for the licensee community. The secretariat is led by Secretary General Evelina Kurgonaite, with Robert Pocknell as Chair and Alexander Prenter as Senior Policy Officer.

FSA is funded by recurring membership dues; specific tiering and financials are not publicly disclosed. Its primary problem domain is the opaque, unpredictable, and imbalanced SEP licensing environment — including injunction threats, refusal to license at the component level, and patent bundling — which disproportionately burdens SMEs and slows technology adoption for connectivity standards such as Wi-Fi and 5G. Member companies are both large multinationals facing strategic dependency on overseas patent holders and smaller firms navigating disproportionate compliance costs.

Name

Fair Standards Alliance

Legal name

Fair Standarts Alliance

Website

https://fair-standards.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fair Standards Alliance is a Brussels-based non-profit industry coalition of 47 European and global companies advocating for fair, transparent, and workable licensing of Standard Essential Patents on FRAND terms through policy engagement, position papers, and consultations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards-Essential Patents (SEP) & FRAND Advisory (BPAHAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Standards, Norms & Technical Regulatory Bodies (BPADAAAJ), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• SEP licensing advocacy
• FRAND patent policy
• Intellectual property advocacy
• Standard essential patents
• Patent licensing reform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: FSA is funded by membership dues from its member companies which include large multinationals, SMEs, and industry associations across various sectors including automotive, telecommunications, semiconductor, and IoT.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fair Standards Alliance is a non-profit industry coalition that advocates for fair, transparent, and balanced licensing of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) on FRAND terms. The organization produces position papers, legal case analyses, consultation responses, and research, while engaging with EU and international policymakers to drive SEP licensing reform.

Product overview

Fair Standards Alliance is not a product company but rather a policy advocacy organization that promotes fair, transparent, and balanced licensing of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) on FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms. The organization does not offer commercial products or services but instead provides position papers, research, legal case materials, consultation responses, and advocacy initiatives focused on SEP licensing policy reform in Europe and globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FSA Membership Membership in the Fair Standards Alliance coalition for companies advocating for fair SEP licensing frameworks, providing access to advocacy initiatives, position papers, research, consultation responses, and industry events. Members include multinationals, SMEs, and industry associations across automotive, telecommunications, semiconductor, IoT, smart energy, and broadcasting sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56 organizations participated in developing CWA2 Core Principles for SEP Licensing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2019FSA welcomed METI's guide on SEP license valuation and participated in discussions on transparency and predictability of SEP licensing negotiations. Japanese translation of FSA patent pool position paper was published.
• Deutsche Institut für Normung (DIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the CWA2 (Core Principles and Approaches for Licensing of Standard Essential Patents) Workshop Agreement within the CEN CENELEC framework. Fifty-six organizations participated in developing policy approaches for evaluating SEP licensing.
• CEN CENELECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the CWA2 Workshop Agreement for developing core principles for SEP licensing. The document sets forth policy principles and best practices for companies and policymakers.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSA engages with the European Commission on SEP licensing policy, including responses to consultations on the SEP Regulation proposal, Technology Transfer Guidelines, and intellectual property action plans.
• UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSA submitted recommendations to UKIPO's consultation on SEP licensing practices, urging bold reform to restore fairness, transparency, and efficiency to licensing of standardized technologies.
• German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSA applauded Bundeskartellamt's call for referral of SEP legal questions to the CJEU and supported efforts to achieve legal certainty on SEP licensing across Europe.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA): CCIA is a membership-based tech industry association that advocates on IP, competition, and digital policy issues in the US and EU. It is directly comparable as a coalition-funded industry advocacy group engaged in SEP and standards policy.
• DigitalEurope: DigitalEurope is a Brussels-based trade association representing the European digital technology industry. Comparable to FSA as a Brussels-headquartered, membership-funded advocacy organization engaging EU policymakers on IP and standards-related issues.
• Knowledge Ecology International (KEI): KEI is a non-profit advocacy organization focused on intellectual property policy reform. Comparable to FSA as a policy advocacy NGO operating in IP-related domains through position papers and consultation responses.
• Public Knowledge: Public Knowledge is a US public interest advocacy organization focused on IP, copyright, and tech policy. Comparable to FSA as a membership- and donor-funded advocacy entity engaging on IP reform with policymakers and in litigation.
• Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO): IPO is a US trade association representing intellectual property owners, including SEP holders. Comparable to FSA as a membership-based organization engaged in SEP and IP policy advocacy, but from the opposing implementer-vs-owner perspective.

Others

• Avanci: Avanci operates a one-stop licensing platform for SEPs in IoT and automotive markets. It is the counter-position to FSA's implementer-friendly agenda, especially in cellular and connected vehicle SEP licensing.
• MPEG LA: MPEG LA is one of the world's largest patent pool administrators covering standards including video codecs and wireless. Comparable to FSA as a key participant in the SEP licensing ecosystem that FSA seeks to reform.
• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): CDT is a non-profit advocacy organization working on digital policy, including IP and standards-related issues. Comparable to FSA as a policy advocacy entity engaging regulators and publishing research, though with a broader tech-policy mandate.
• IPlytics: IPlytics is a commercial SEP analytics and patent intelligence platform that also contributes to SEP policy discussions. Comparable to FSA as a SEP-focused organization with policy engagement, though operating on a for-profit commercial model.
• Sisvel: Sisvel is a major patent pool administrator active in SEP licensing for wireless, video, and IoT technologies. It represents the counter-position to FSA as a SEP holder-side organization engaged in licensing market structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fair_standards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fair Standards Alliance